Lock latch holder



y 9, 1967 A. F. PIAZZA 3,318,123

LOCK LATCH HOLDER Filed March 50, 1965 INVENTOR. ANTHONY F. DIA'Z'ZA.

United States Patent 3,318,123 LUCK LATCH HOLDER 4 Anthony F. Piazza, 10016 Santa Anita Ave., Montclair, Calif. 91763 Filed Mar. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 443,877 1 Claim. (Cl. 70-447) The present invention relates to a lock latch holder.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means of holding the latch bolt of a door lock in the extended or fastened condition.

It is well known that most locks can be opened by means of a skeleton key, so that the door knob may be turned and the latch bolt withdrawn from the keeper recess.

Hence the present invention involves as the important feature thereof the provision of a means for preventing the retraction of the bolt from the locking position. This is accomplished by attaching the lock latch holder to the forward edge of the door directly below the lock face plate in such a manner that the said holder may be moved into engagement with a recesed portion provided in the top of the latch bolt. This, of course, would prevent retraction of the latch bolt, and therefore serves as a safety means for door locks.

Another feature of the device of the present invention resides in the fact that the lock latch holder is so designed that it may easily be disengaged from the latch and moved to a safety position when not in use.

Furthermore the presently claimed device may be economically produced and is easily installed upon a door when the device is to be used. Also, the operation of the lock latch holder is extremely simple.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, the novelty of the invention consisting in the features of construction, the combination of parts, the novel relation of the members and the relative proportioning, disposition and operation thereof, all as is more completely described herein, and as is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of my present application;

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side perspective view of a portion of a door, shown in light lines, the lock latch holder being shown in full lines at it appears in a position of use, while the dotted lines show the same in a position of safety;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view illustrating the lock latch holder in a position above the latch bolt;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view to show more in detail the engagement of the upper portion of the holder with the groove in the top of the latch;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lock section of the door shown in light lines, illustrating in full lines the lock latch holder in operative position, the spacing between the door edge and the door jamb being exaggerated for purposes of illustration.

The lock latch holder is generally designated by the numeral 1, being made of thin flat material, comprising a uniform width mid-section 6, 9 from which a handle member 2 extends outwardly and upwardly, and an inwardly extending portion 3, 5, 12 from which there extends a relatively small lug or car 10. From the lower end portion of the mid-section 6, 9 there is an inwardly extending portion 4, 7 which is provided with a vertically disposed slot 8.

The illustration in FIG. 1 shows the manner of installing the holder on the edge of the door B by means of screw 8a inserted through slot 8 into the wood on the face of the door edge just below the lock face plate B1, the slot 8 being proportioned to permit upward and down-ward movement of the holder 1. "It is noted that the lower inwardly extending portion 4, 7 of the holder =1 is contoured to accommodate the vertically disposed slot 8, and that said slot is dimensioned to provide for a firm holding means by use of the screw 8a, which will permit vertical upward and downward movement of the holder 1.

By means of the said upward and downward movement of the holder 1 provision is made for engagement of portion 3, 5, 12 with the recessed portion, or groove, 11 in the upper portion of latch .13. As shown by FIG. 3 the holder 1 is seated in the grooved formation 11 of latch 13 with edge 5 contacting the bottom of said groove 11. By grasping handle formation .2 of the lock latch holder 1, it may be raised or lowered, as desired; thereby resulting in either holding the latch 13 in a locked position or releasing the same by vertically upward movement of the lock latch holder 1.

Since it is possible, when closing the door, to cause the holder 1 to accidentally fall into groove 11 of the latch 13 as the result of jarring the same, and to unintentionally lock the door, it is shown by FIG. 1 that this may be avoided by the said holder being rotated to position the same as indicated by dotted lines therein.

FIG. 2 serves to show clearly the recessed formation v11, with a wall 11a of the recess being shown. Generally the said recessed formation, or groove, will be formed with vertical side walls to accommodate the rectangular lower edge 5 in the groove 11. If a lock does not come equipped with a recess formation in the upper portion of the latch member, then by the simple expedient of filing the required groove in the top of the said latch, the holder of the present invention may be used.

Attention is directed to the ear or lug 10 on the latch engaging portion 3, 5, 12 which serves to retain the holder in the groove 11, and to prevent outward movement Without first raising the holder 1 by grasping handle member 2, it being noted that the slot 8 must be dimensioned to allow for at least as much vertical movement of the holder 1 as the length of the lug 10.

As is quite obvious, the lock latch holder of the present invention may be easily installed on any standard type of lock, or may be furnished with a lock unit which has been provided with the required groove in the latch member. Furthermore, the present device may be economically manufactured by simply stamping the same out of sheet material.

While certain specific forms of the invention have been shown and described, in preferred form, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made as deemed desirable within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

The combination of a door, a door lock having a latch bolt extending through an edge of said door, a transverse notch in a top portion of said bolt, and a lock latch holder, said holder comprising a thin flat member having a first end portion including longitudinally extending handle means and an adjacent member transverse to said handle means, a second end portion opposite said first end portion of said look latch holder including means comprising an intermediate longitudinal slot, said holder adjustably secured to the edge of said door below said bolt by a screw extending through said slot to permit said first end portion to be adjustably rotated by movement of said handle means about the screw to a position above said bolt and then to be moved downward to engage said transverse member in the transverse notch in said lock bolt, said transverse member having lug means for laterally securing said latch holder in said notch.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

P. TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

